English Speaking Expat Group for Moms in Tuscany Italy

Bilingualism

Salima Qureshi-Biagiotti is an American speech-language pathologist living in Florence since 2004. She has volunteered to write a column on language development in regards to Bilingualism. Here is a description of her upcoming articles in the Spring Issue. Her first one is on The Bilingual Child: Mother-Tongue (Discusses importance of parents using their mother-tongue to establish self-identity, self-esteem, connection to both parents homeland…etc.) The second will be The Bilingual Child: Defining Bilingualism (Deciding to raise a child bilingually should be carefully planned. Creating a definition that best fits your family is the first step.)

In this issue she gives a quick description of what is a bilingual child:

bilingual acquisition is a common and normal childhood experience

all children are capable of learning two languages in childhood

knowing the language of one’s parents is an important and essential component of children’s cultural identity and sense of belonging

bilingual acquisition is facilitated if children have sustained, rich, and varied experiences in both languages

proficiency in both languages is more likely if children have sustained exposure in the home to the language that is used less extensively in the community; the language that is used more widely will get support outside the home

parents can facilitate bilingual proficiency by using the language they know best and by using it in varied and extensive ways